My excitement for a full length album from R&B singer/song-writer Sevyn Streeter started back in 2012 when I heard her first single, “I Like It.” I remember watching the music video for “I Like It” and thinking, damn, here is an artist that sings well, can actually dance and looks amazing – she’s bound to blow up. Very few artists find instant success over night, and Sevyn definitely puts in work to get to where she is today. Sevyn has been in the game since 2001, getting her start in a girl group called TG4 when she was 15. The group disbanded after a slightly successful single and touring with B2K, IMx and Bow Wow (Let’s take a moment to remember or look up “Bump, Bump, Bump” if you aren’t aware of that R&B gem).
Even though “I Like It” really got me interested in Sevyn, that single wasn’t my first time hearing music from her. The 2007 girl group RichGirl was my introduction to Sevyn. Comprised of four talented and sexy ladies, the group released some solid singles drenched with smooth vocals, swag and sex appeal (“Swagger Right,” “24,” “Smile & Wave”). With no success on the charts, the group ended a few years later which lead to Sevyn singing a deal with Chris Brown and working toward a solo career.
Sevyn has become a very successful songwriter since signing with Brown’s CBE imprint in 2012 and helping him craft some of his biggest hits (“Yeah 3x,” “Strip,” “Fine China”). She also wrote smashes for a few artists that may have a home on your iTunes library like Ariana Grande, Tamar Braxton, Trey Songz; the list goes on and the catalogue of hits is impressive. On May 22, 2013, Sevyn released her second single “It Won’t Stop” featuring Chris Brown and reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The sexy slow jam was the perfect summer single and helped Sevyn gain a lot of buzz as a singer. “It Won’t Stop” led to Sevyn releasing her debut EP Call Me Crazy, But… which debuted on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at No. 5.
The seven-track EP plays like a relationship cycle: happy in the beginning (“Come On Over”), steamy in the middle (“Sex On the Ceiling”) and sadly comes to an end (“nEXt”). Call Me Crazy, But… still gets some spins in my library from time to time. I love that Sevyn’s voice has the ability to sound good in different genres making her voice one of the strongest in the music landscape right now. Add the ability to dance and create hits and you’ve got an artist that definitely needs more recognition. Hearing the progression in Sevyn’s EP never gets old and if you haven’t given it a listen yet, I’d highly recommend it.
It seems like the release of the debut album On the Verge is near with Sevyn revealing some details to Rap-Up last week. In the Rap-Up interview she states, “The album is like my baby that I’ve been holding for nine months and I’m ready to just release it to the world.” She further adds, “I didn’t want to put myself in a box and I wanted to just be really honest on every record, no matter how that came out. If I was sad or depressed or crying one day, which I was, I wrote a song about people who don’t make me feel like that.” That versatility can be heard on her first single off On the Verge titled “Don’t Kill The Fun.” The mid-tempo party track has elements of R&B, House, Pop and the crossover appeal is very real. Chris and Sevyn make a dope collab duo and they play off each other really well on this single. Sevyn also experiments with the electronic genre on a track off the Furious 7 Soundtrack called “How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah).”
“Don’t Kill The Fun” sounds like a chill kickback compared to the synth driven “How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah).” Sevyn easily transitions from a rowdy chorus that sounds like the soundtrack to a crazy electronic music festival; to a few smooth verses that could be played in the backseat of your ride while you fog up the windows with a special someone. The build up to the track’s wild bass drop may be my favorite part of the song as Sevyn aggressively asks, “How bad do you want it?” Watching Sevyn’s career play out over the last three years has been great and I expect her fanbase to grow as she continues to release solid singles and write for some of the biggest artists in the industry. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for On the Verge, but until then, I guess I’ll play “How Bad Do You Want It” and imagine myself raving at a crazy music festival I can’t afford to go to. Broke college kid but I can’t kill the fun…right Sevyn?
FDRMX Eyes: Ladi6 is an R&B singer from New Zealand. Check out her music video entitled “Shine On” below.
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